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  • A Brief History of Earth

  • Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters
  • By: Andrew H. Knoll
  • Narrated by: Tom Parks
  • Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)

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A Brief History of Earth

By: Andrew H. Knoll
Narrated by: Tom Parks
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Summary

How well do you know the ground beneath your feet? A primer for every Earth resident, by Harvard’s acclaimed geologist.

“A sublime chronicle of our planet." (Booklist, starred review)

Odds are, where you’re standing was once cooking under a roiling sea of lava, crushed by a towering sheet of ice, rocked by a nearby meteor strike, or perhaps choked by poison gases, drowned beneath ocean, perched atop a mountain range, or roamed by fearsome monsters. Probably most or even all of the above.

The story of our home planet and the organisms spread across its surface is far more spectacular than any Hollywood blockbuster, filled with enough plot twists to rival a bestselling thriller. But only recently have we begun to piece together the whole mystery into a coherent narrative. Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, renowned geologist Andrew H. Knoll delivers a rigorous yet accessible biography of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story. Placing twenty first-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Andrew H. Knoll (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about A Brief History of Earth

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Concise, accessible and pertinent

The incredible story of our planet needs no Hollywood script. Succinctly narrated in layman’s terms ending with a somber message which cannot be ignored.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Nicely written and informative

I learned so much from this book. The book is short, but so much knowledge is condensed in it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

on whole good

yes it started and ended with preachy climate control talk, but mostly interesting. Just a note to editors though, I believe Jules Verne wrote "Journey to the center of the Earth" , not HG Wells - chapter 1.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great content, lumpy narration

An excellent informative book marred slightly by lumpy and awkward narration. It sounds like AI narration, which probably would have been comparable.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Whirlwind tour

A whirlwind tour through 4 billion years of history and an excellent distillation of knowledge.

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